Billy Joel Licenses Video Game Out of Spite

Billy Joel, whose three decades in rock 'n roll have made him one of the
most successful recording artists of all time, probably doesn't need
the money or the attention that come with licensing one's songs to the
video game Rock Band, in which players mimic a live performance of
famous songs using guitar- and drum-like controllers. But he does have
one very good reason for finally following through on granting Rock Band
the rights to his long-sought hits: Spite. Pure, unadulterated,
unhidden, unadorned spite. USA Today's Elysa Gardner reports:

"I've never allowed my music to be used in a game before," but an Entertainment Weekly review of NBC's The Office changed his mind. Alluding to an episode in which characters mention a Rock Band
featuring Billy Joel, "the critic wrote something like, 'God forbid
that ever should happen.' So I called my people and said, 'Get me (on)
that Rock Band game.' Then I wrote the critic, saying that every time I
get a check, I'll give him a little nod."